Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Brandon Thorn Breaks Down Bengals' 2025 OL | Additions, Amarius Mims' Progress, Scott Peters Impact

Starting point is 00:00:00 One of my favorite offensive line minds in the media space, Brandon Thorne joins the podcast today to break down the Bengals' additions to the offensive line and what we should expect from this unit in 2025. You are Locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Well, up Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked on Bengals podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Jake.

Starting point is 00:00:38 Let's go join today by Brandon Thorne, who does a great offensive line newsletter at Trench Warfare, where he's breaking down draft prospects. He's breaking down players that are already in the NFL. He's got his awesome true sack and true pressure rate metrics that he tracks throughout the season as well on the defensive line side of things. but an awesome offensive line resource here with us today. And the everydayers knew this was coming if you listened all the way to the end of our most recent episode that we were going to dive into the Bengals Offensive Line in depth with Brandon today.

Starting point is 00:01:14 But if you're not in every day or yet, you can hit that subscribe button to make sure you don't miss an episode of Lockdown Bengals. And if you're already one of those that makes us your first listen, we appreciate all of you so very much for making Locked on Bengals part of your routine. Today's episode brought to you by Game Time where you can save $20 on your first. first purchase of tickets with code locked on NFL. And Brandon, want to get started today with the Bengals' offensive line rookies. They add two players in the NFL draft, Jalen Rivers, who was one of your guys, notably, that you wrote about for trench warfare and offensive tackle slash offensive guard

Starting point is 00:01:51 prospect who might get some run at both positions for the Bengals. And Dylan Fairchild, a guy that the Bengals expect to step in and compete for a starting job at Guard. And let's start with Fairchild because he was selected in the third round. You noted as soon as the connection was obvious, the Scott Peters fit for Dylan Fairchild

Starting point is 00:02:11 as he transitions to the NFL. Yeah, yeah. I mean, this was a kind of a connection that, you know, came to mind when I was thinking about Fairchild and his projection and trying to figure that out to the NFL when I was writing his scouting report because Wyatt Teller, I think I had a tweet of about a month or,

Starting point is 00:02:29 few weeks or so before the draft just saying like I think his high-end outcome best case would be like Wyatt Teller. I saw him in that similar sort of mold and you know Wyatt Teller of course you know I think he got drafted in the fifth round kind of a day three high upside type of swing and that's kind of how I saw Fairchild and then more of like a mid-ground or mid-level sort of projection for him as like a west Weecher who's like kind of a swing interior guy who has some really nice flashes but just hasn't been able to really string together, you know, a long-term starting career, but he's hung around for a long time. So I think that's probably if you're, you know, just kind of in a vacuum betting on what he would become. That was kind of where I leaned.

Starting point is 00:03:16 Of course, depending on the situation, I'd lean a little bit more favorably to that high upside outcome. And then, you know, with the teller kind of shades there in his game. And then, of course, Scott Peters being with Bill Callahan and Cleveland when they acquired Wyatt Teller via trade from the bills and then the developmental journey that Teller went on to get to the point to where he became an all pro. I think Peters played a hand in that. So to see that connection happen makes me feel pretty good about this pick, you know, assuming that, you know, Coach Peters had a say in this and that, you know,

Starting point is 00:03:54 he sees some similar things as well. that was, you know, it's just reassuring to go to a situation like that with this player. But, yeah, just aside from that, you know, watching Fairchild, I think when you first watch him and then you get through his film, you know, the reason why he's a high upside kind of bet, you know, maybe a boom bust element to his, to his projection is because the flashes of when things click in terms of when he's in the right position, when he's playing with good leverage. and he's able to kind of unleash his power on guys. It's jarring. It's dominant. He's a good athlete on film. He moves well.

Starting point is 00:04:35 But it's really that explosive power element that he brings at his size that is pretty special. It's just they're kind of sandwiched between these glaring breakdowns in technique, positioning, timing on things. I saw him as just a really raw prospect, but very toolsy and tools. and tools that not a lot of other guys in this class necessarily could replicate either. So it's always tricky, I think, valuing those guys. The evaluation is a little bit more clear cut, but yeah, it's very situation-dependent. And I think he went to a great situation, you know, just with that connection alone and then just kind of fitting into the mantra of kind of, you know, what the Bengals want from their

Starting point is 00:05:20 offensive linemen as well. So even if it takes some time, I mean, there's, it's not like, there's a lot standing in his way of playing on this offensive line either. So you could could see some run, you know, sooner than we think, you know, all things considered. So yeah, it was I think a pretty solid pick by them, even though a little earlier than I had him graded. The post draft comments, the press conference comments about Dylan Fairchild from offensive coordinator Dan pitcher were, he's absolutely in the running to start at left guard. It's kind of not exactly his job to lose, but certainly his job to win

Starting point is 00:05:55 and the competition for that job right now looks like it's maybe Cordell Volson, maybe Cody Ford in that mix. It sounds like Lucas Patrick and Cody Ford working at Wright Guard in the Bengals' early part of the offseason program. So we'll see what shakes out there. Fairchild hasn't even arrived for an on-field practice or workout with the Bengals yet.

Starting point is 00:06:15 Their rookie camp is on Friday this week. So we'll see how that all goes. But you talked about the tools and the jarring power And when I hear those sorts of things, I think run game, run game impact, the ability to displace guys when you're trying to move guys is the immediate impact or the immediate strength, if you were to ascribe a strength weakness profile to his game as he arrives in the NFL. Do you think he's more ready in the run game or is it kind of a mixed bag in both run blocking and in pass blocking? in past blocking it would be just anchoring against power in the bull rush you know i think that will probably be pretty good for him you know when he's facing some of the more bigger power oriented sort of rushers that he may see um you know which in your division you know there's there's a few of

Starting point is 00:07:08 them um i think that he'll you know be able to hold up that way play strength wise size wise but yeah you just saw it more in the run game uh at georgia i mean You know, his anchor raw strength-wise, I think is good, but his technique is a little shaky. I mean, there's times on film when he gets absolutely blown up in his anchor, but I don't equate that when I studied it to a need of play strength at all. It was just not timing his hands well, being high, being late, and letting guys into his chest and getting caught high and then just getting blown up. So, you know, that happened.

Starting point is 00:07:45 So his anchor overall Maybe a little inconsistent But he certainly has the size and the strength The lower body strength And the ability to bend To anchor on command You know when In flashes I would say

Starting point is 00:08:01 But yeah run game wise You watch a Clemson film that comes to mind I think that was the first game of the year But that film is probably his best tape I thought the Notre Dame Game later in the year Off the top of my head had some nice ones as well, but really that Clemson game shows the power.

Starting point is 00:08:19 One of the strengths from my scouting report here excels as the drive man on vertical double teams with the power to lift and displaced defenders off the ball. Vertical double teams is something obviously that you guys in Cincinnati run a lot of. So that just makes sense, you know, for him being there. Because that in the run game, I thought, was kind of where he succeeded the most. So, yeah. You also note good quickness in screens and on his climbs, which athleticism is something, certainly that we've been hoping the Bengals would continue to inject the Amarius Mims pick last year

Starting point is 00:08:57 starting that trend. And I do have one more question before we shift and talk about Jalen Rivers as well. So I'm going to ask you about Dylan Fairchild from a development perspective, what your development plan should or would be for Fairchild as he reaches the NFL. We'll continue the conversation there coming up next. This episode of Lockdown Bengals is sponsored by Game Time. Game Time knows there's nothing like the atmosphere of an NBA playoff game. Every bucket, every defensive stop, every moment feels huge.

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Starting point is 00:10:10 create an account and use code, locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code, L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-N-FL-L-FL-N-FL-FL-N-FL-FL-E-L-L-E-L-L-E-L-L-E-L-ROLITS-T, download-T-E-L-T-E-L-T-E-ROTies. Thank you, Brandon, as I've asked all of our guests

Starting point is 00:10:32 who I've had on to talk about players of banks of drafts who have expertise in that area. The same question. What would be your top two or three priorities? maybe one or two priorities. If you're Scott Peters, you know, you've got your strike system, you're renowned for your pass pro technique and your ability to teach that. What are you prioritizing for Dylan Fairchild as he arrives in Cincinnati?

Starting point is 00:10:54 Yeah, I mean, you read my negative portion of my scouting report and it largely has to do with being out of position and not having great hand usage and pass protection. So the strike system, learning that, mastering it, getting reps at, you know, utilizing that, against different looks, against different players, that would be my priority. You know, I think it's a technique-based thing, you know, first and foremost. So getting technique training at a real high level isn't as prevalent. I think in the NFL's, you know, many people may expect. I think oftentimes the priority for offensive linemen is like schematic coaching, you know,

Starting point is 00:11:37 fitting in, you know, that way, teaching guys the scheme. the run game, you know, where to be, execution of assignments, things like that. And technique, you know, kind of the nitty gritty, the nuanced technique work isn't something that guys get a whole lot of depending. It depends on the coaching staff, I think. But I mean, I would probably put Scott Peters in the bucket of being one of those guys who is known for teaching technique. So from that standpoint, I think it's a really good fit because, you know, the things that Fairchild lacks is it's not a, It's not things that you are unable to teach.

Starting point is 00:12:15 You know, like it's, he has the size. He has the build, the frame, the power, the strength, the athletic ability is just a matter of putting it together with consistent technique. So you minimize the glaring losses and the bad positions. So the strike system, I think, is a really good kind of foundation to get him ingrained with and teach him and make him professional. at. So how quickly he does that, I've no idea. You know, maybe a full training camp, maybe a full training camp plus, you know, coming in midway through the year, you know, I don't know, but that would be my focus. That makes a lot of sense to me. And Peters, like you said, hopefully can bring that technical

Starting point is 00:13:01 education that I think has been, as you said, as like most of the NFL, missing with the Bengals to some degree. And of course, Bengals fans have paid close attention to legend Willie Anderson talks all the time about the balance of time in the NFL for offensive line coaches and what they prioritize typically being like you said, more scheme coaching than technical coaching. And hopefully I think there's an emphasis with Scott Peters that and a lot of discussion around his technical prowess that that can make a difference with some of these guys. But let's talk about Jaylen Rivers here as well.

Starting point is 00:13:37 the Bengals double down on offensive line coming up to pick Jalen Rivers in the fifth round. You saw Jalen Rivers as a round three grade, according to your scouting report. And you can find Brandon scouting reports on these guys over a bleacher report where he does his pre-draft work. But what were your thoughts on Jalen Rivers as a prospect? What made him one of your guts? Yeah. So for my guys, you know, I picked, I think, one first round guy and a couple second, a couple third, couple fourth, day three guys.

Starting point is 00:14:05 and he was one of my round three guys. It was a late round three grade, you know, fringe round three, round four, seven, one on our scale, which is closer to four than three. But nonetheless, I gave him that three bucket because for us in our grading scale, that's a high level backup or potential starter. And I thought, you know, in a round four bucket would have been a potential role player. So the reason why I gave him that little bit of a bump there is because I think he has a very good chance of becoming a high-level backup year one as a rookie.

Starting point is 00:14:37 And potentially it could start for you. And I think on this bengal's offensive line, you know, that potential starter, you know, tab is more accessible than most offensive lines. So I feel really good about it. But the reason why I like him so much is I think when you watch him on film, you know, first thing that jumps out is just the size, how much mass and girth he has on tape, both with his build, you know, from the ground up.

Starting point is 00:15:06 But then, you know, he casts a wide net with his length. He has big hands. And most importantly, he maximizes that length, I think, with good hands. And you saw that featured at left tackle and left guard. You know, when you watch him this year, something that's pretty rare. He played left tackle and left guard in the same game. It would be on a rotation. And he would do that throughout the year.

Starting point is 00:15:29 So he never really got to settle into one spot. and I thought he was pretty equally effective at both. So for a guy that big and kind of strong and having that square power, you know, he looks more like a guard, but then you see his left tackle tape this year, and I was pretty impressed by it. Just his ability to kind of harden his edges, especially against high side speed rushes around the corner.

Starting point is 00:15:53 I felt like he protected his outside shoulder well. And, you know, that's just a signal to me that he, understands how to maximize and weaponize his length. So that was encouraging to me. And I think in the run game, you kind of expect what he can do in terms of, again, vertical, inside zone, downhill run scheme. That's what Miami runs.

Starting point is 00:16:20 That kind of is a match in CINCSI as well. But, you know, all those things. And then, you know, he goes to the Senior Bowl. He was excellent the first day and then pretty up and down, the ensuing days, which was a little bit disappointing to me. But, you know, that's a piece of the puzzle. You know, all in all, all things considered,

Starting point is 00:16:40 I still felt good about that grade. I feel good about this fit. And, you know, I'm excited to see him, you know, at least earn a backup role, if not more. I wonder if you will have a chance to compete on the right side. I know he played left guard, left tackle at Miami, but you have Orlando Brown who's going to be playing left tackle as long as he's healthy.

Starting point is 00:17:01 and it seems like if I were projecting it today, it's Dylan Fairchild of left guard. Maybe not. Maybe Jaylen Rivers shows that he's more ready for that job right away, but they seem to have very high hopes for Dylan. Seems like he's on the inside track. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:17:16 And so I wonder then if they're going to give him opportunities of right guard. It sounds like they're going to work him all over the opportunity. Yeah. Yeah. Do you see that ability to change positions relatively seamlessly at Miami as a potential good sign for his ability to play on the right side in the NFL? Probably, yeah. I mean, I'm not skeptical of his ability to change, especially if it's like, I think the timing

Starting point is 00:17:42 of when you ask guys to change is the key. And both in terms of, you know, in the calendar year, but also in the timeline of a player's career. If you're asking a guy to change it on a whim, you know, when he's six years into his career, that's very different. That's highly difficult, you know. improbable that's going to go well but if you have a rookie coming in and you're saying day one you know you're playing a lot of right guard i don't see any reason why he couldn't adjust to it and compete

Starting point is 00:18:12 for that job i'm going to ask you the same question on jaylen rivers you're you're in charge of getting the most out of jaylon rivers early in his career what are your first priorities to work on with them. I would again go back to technique. I would start from the ground up, you know, which I would with any player, but especially him, footwork, not oversetting or undersetting his target and pass protection, just really ironing out his stance and his pass sets and his set points. So he could play inside out on rushers and force them to go down the middle of him because I don't think rushers are going to have a lot of luck doing that. So it's a matter of, I think, for him more than anything, body positioning,

Starting point is 00:18:58 positional leverage, whatever you want to call it, on rushers. And that starts with your footwork and your pass sets. So there's going to be a lot of different alignments that he's going to see in the NFL. So it's just a matter of getting acclimated to those and getting him in a position where he's square in his pass set and he's staying inside out on guys. because then if you do that, you eliminate the two-way go. Russers kind of have to go down the middle or outside of you. And I think he's well equipped to deal with both of those more so than recovering because he's out of position.

Starting point is 00:19:33 He's not a great athlete. He's solid. He's fine. Good enough. But, you know, if you could get him in good positions from the jump, kind of reduce the compromising positions for him, then I think you're going to maximize the player. So that's what I would focus on. It makes sense to me. I like hearing the fit, at least, for these guys with what the Bengals like to do.

Starting point is 00:19:55 And we'll bring the conversation back to that point from an overall offensive line outlook with some of the pieces they've added. And what we're expecting from both Scott Peters in a scheme conversation to finish the show coming up next. This episode of Lockdown Bengals is sponsored by Upwork. And Upwork knows that scaling your business requires the right expertise at the right time. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers. in marketing, development, design, and so much more, experts ready to help you take your business to the next level. Upwork gives businesses flexibility by connecting them with top freelance talent across multiple industries, whether it's IT, AI, web development, or marketing, and whether you

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Starting point is 00:21:16 Brandon, let's talk big picture here. We've talked about the rookies and their opportunities. the things they need to work on if they're going to step into starting roles. Bengals also add Lucas Patrick and Cody Ford will be in the mix. Cordell Wilson also for now, part of the team. We'll see how he does with the offseason program and such. But I want to ask about Amarius Mims specifically from a development perspective. Obviously, very traitsy, toolsy player coming into the NFL with questions about experience.

Starting point is 00:21:48 Dealt with some injuries as a rookie, of course, trying to play through. a broken hand at the end of the year with a club on his hand. And I thought, honestly, that he did pretty well for having a club on his hand at offensive tackle. But as you saw Mims progress throughout the year, what were your thoughts on his growth as a first-year player in the NFL? Yeah, I mean, all in all, I thought it was pretty good, I would say. I thought, you know, he really, I mean, the strengths that he has as a player, you know, were evident. and they kind of translated really well in terms of just him, you know, his power, his size, his strength, and just kind of blending that together to engulf guys at the point of attack and end reps quickly and reps on command.

Starting point is 00:22:31 I feel like he's able to do that pretty well. He's just, you know, going back to Georgia and even last year watching him on film, he's just such a massive guy. It's just he's an outlier in that regard in many respects. I mean, you know, you guys are familiar with that. Obviously, Evan Orlando, I know. too, but like, this is just one of the biggest tackles you'll ever see play football. And then for him to be able to move kind of as fluidly as he does, you know, I think that those things were, were on display for the most part.

Starting point is 00:23:03 He would get himself in, I thought, more compromising positions than maybe was talked about a little bit, maybe reflected in some of the grades that I've seen. I don't know exactly what the grades look like, but I remember off top of my head last year, you know, I just sometimes don't agree with some of the early hype on guys. You know, I think it's lacking context and things like that. And what I mean with him is, you know, a lot of the compromising positions that I saw him get in on film were kind of moot points because the ball was gone. You know, the ball gets out pretty quick, you know, with Joe Burrow. And if a guy loses quickly, you know, sometimes it does.

Starting point is 00:23:45 doesn't really matter, you know, to the outcome of the play. And it gets very easily, you know, kind of overlooked. But I think back, of course, you know, like the Micah game, yeah, I mean, you know, he lost, you know, three, four on that one. That's, you know, whatever, everybody loses to Micah. But even the Clowny game, you know, I remember going against Clowny, there were several reps when he lost inside. And I think that was probably the, my biggest critique of him is just when he is on an island, you know, having to set out in space on a guy, just over, I should say, he opens up a little too quickly, what I mean by like his hips and his shoulders,

Starting point is 00:24:26 and that leaves him vulnerable to getting his face crossed. So, and he's, you know, he's a solid athlete, good athlete, certainly for his size, he's a very good athlete, but just kind of overall, he's solid, good. So, I mean, he's not like the best. in terms of recovery skills. So I think just kind of getting more disciplined, again, and this is one of the most difficult things for anybody to do at any position on the

Starting point is 00:24:52 offensive line is to stay square long, you know, as long as you can in your past set to eliminate two-way goes. For him, I thought that was the biggest thing he needs to work on is just when he's setting out to a guy who's in a wide nine, not turning too soon. Because when he turns too soon, you know, that, that inside shoulder gets soft and you know i thought he lost inside a little too much and then yeah late in the rep you know he can get broken down and his size kind of works against him against real shifty guys but that's kind of what you're getting with i think a guy you know especially

Starting point is 00:25:28 early on in his career was coming in raw and experienced all that type of stuff it's you know nothing too concerning but those were the areas i saw that him you know get beat and lose that kind of repeatedly. But all in all, you know, pretty good. I'd be very encouraged. I'm excited to see his development with Scott Peters as well. Like all these guys going from what they had in that room to a guy that's renowned for technical teaching is just generally a pretty exciting thing for me. And Orlando Brown's a guy that takes that onto his own plate, like redevelopes his stance last year was playing some of the best football I think he's played before he had that injury. Ted Carras, as solid as they come at center, great rapport with Burrow in terms of identifying protections and doing the things that don't really show up as much that you kind of have to really pay attention to pre-snap or listen to the players talk about.

Starting point is 00:26:25 So taking all of that into account, knowing what the Bengals like to do in the run game, knowing that they're going to be a heavy passing team that, like you said, Burrow gets rid of the ball pretty quickly, but they're going to be in a lot of true pass situations where they're going to be in a lot of true pass situations where they're, There's not necessarily going to be, you know, a ton of help for these offensive linemen in past blockings. What's your overall outlook for this Bengals offensive line in 2025 where, honestly, a lot of Bengals fans are like, go get Brandon Sheriff, go get somebody, Will Hernandez, and find a little bit more stability on the interior. What are your thoughts right now as far as where they're at? Yeah, just first I would say, yeah, this is a pass first scheme, obviously, not a lot of play. so you don't get help from the scheme, but where you do get help is from the quarterback. So, you know, that's that's kind of the saving grace for the offensive line and pass protection. If you are going to pass pro a lot, you definitely need a quarterback who's not going to hang on to the ball and not drift and, you know, put you in that position.

Starting point is 00:27:24 So they have that. So that's great. It kind of offsets that. But, yeah, I mean, all at all, I mean, I kind of like, you know, it makes sense. I can easily justify the approach of going young on the inside with the offensive line coach that you do have. who I think, you know, I'd be pretty encouraged for his ability to develop. It's kind of hard to parse through how much did he develop or how much was Bill Callahan, you know, one of the greatest line coaches of all time. But he still was in the building and working with guys, you know,

Starting point is 00:27:55 where they had really good offensive lines year and year out in Cleveland, and they developed guys for the most part, aside from, you know, the Georgia Quill's left tackle, couldn't really get that one done. But, you know, other positions, they certainly did it. So, yeah, I mean, I, you know, I think their approach makes sense, you know, kind of going against the veteran approach to fix a problem, a short-term band-aid, trying to get guys in the building year one with the new offensive line coach who has some developmental chops in his background and building that way, kind of more of a long-term outlook, makes sense to me. So, you know, you have a mix to veterans, you know, albeit. you know, maybe not like long-term fix veteran options in Lukewispatrick and Ford and Volson, but you have band-aids in place in case Fairchild or Rivers, one of the two or both

Starting point is 00:28:48 or whatever isn't, you know, ready or whatever happens there. So to me, this approach makes sense, you know, to me. And then overall, like where they sit, haven't sat down, you know, probably doing in a couple months, you know, ranking, you know, kind of the 32 offensive lines. I'd probably say like this is looking, you know, a little below average right now, but it's just because there's a lot of uncertainty going into week one. But the long-term outlook, I'm pretty encouraged by what this could be. So, yeah. Is that mostly like an interior thing?

Starting point is 00:29:26 Do you feel like the pieces of it were there last? I mean, you know, Orlando Brown's, he's solid, you know. I mean, I don't know. I mean, Orlando Brown is, you know, if you're ranking left tackles, you know, somewhere around 15, you know, which is solid. Left tackle is pretty deep, actually, in the NFL relatively, especially compared to right. So you have like a solid left tackle. You could probably say Amiris Mims is close to solid and, you know, probably overall right tackles in the league. He's got to be in the top 15 or so, I would say is probably fair, especially baking in him getting a little bit better.

Starting point is 00:30:02 So, you know, two solid tackles, kind of a solid, adequate center. And then guard is just, it's kind of wide open right now. You don't know what you're getting there. So three solid with two unknowns, it's kind of below average to me. But there's upside here to where, you know, these are a lot of young guys as well and guys that, you know, I kind of like, you know, Mims, Fairchild Rivers and some other guys. I mean, Matt Lee even. I mean, Seth McLaughlin's one of my,

Starting point is 00:30:34 that was probably one of my favorite undrafted signings in the whole class period. Like, there's a lot to like here. So, yeah, it's just more of a long-term upside type thing. Like week one, it's hard to envision much more than like, you know, middle of the pack. Yeah, that makes sense to me. I'm hoping personally, like I said,

Starting point is 00:30:55 excited to see what the Scott Peters approach brings and how that shakes out if we can see any, discernible signs of the strike system and a different way of training and a different way of getting those guys through the offseason program shows up early in the season. I think that maybe you and I both will be watching for those signs when we're watching his offensive line early. Yeah, I'm very excited to watch them. Yeah, and is there anything extra there for you because of Peter's background and his

Starting point is 00:31:24 path to becoming an NFL coach and how he kind of goes through the, because he had his own training business, right? And then he ends up as an assistant to Callahan, and now he's ended up as an NFL offensive line coach. Is that add anything to it for you, given your background? Yeah, I mean, I think so. He comes at it, you know, he has an MMA background. Of course, he's a super high level like jih Tjitsu guy, I want to say. But, but yeah, and also he has a really good understanding of kind of body mechanics, kinesiology, you know, how the body works and weaknesses in the body, strengths in the body, angles, leverages, you know, things like that. He has a really good understanding of that.

Starting point is 00:32:06 And I had somewhat of a personal training background. And I was initially when I got out of the military, I wanted to get into strength and conditioning. That was kind of my first interest in what I pursued until scouting worked out for me. But so I do appreciate his emphasis and focus on that and how he integrates that into his teaching. I think he's really cool. And then plus, you know, being big on technique as well. So, like, he's a guy that I've really appreciated his background.

Starting point is 00:32:35 And I think, you know, the Cleveland, his entry into the NFL as a coach with Cleveland was a massive success, as good as it could have been for an assistant offensive line coach. And then, you know, he gets one year in New England and now he's here. So it's the jury still out on him, obviously, as a head offensive line coach. But, yeah, I mean, I like his background. I think it's innovative. And I'm really interested to see it, hopefully get a chance to play out for several years because that's how you kind of know.

Starting point is 00:33:06 I mean, it's hard to, you know, make a declaration on a guy on one season. I like, especially with young guys like this. So hopefully we see it for two, three years and then we can really tell. But, I mean, I'm encouraged. And I think with the players that he has to work with in CINCI, like, I'm excited about it. But it's just I'm taking kind of a wait-and-see approach to how it's actually going to look. A rational way to approach things. Try it.

Starting point is 00:33:35 I like it. Brandon, I will try to get you some clips during training camp, see if I can send you some strike system video, get you some D-Ns during training camp, and we'll hopefully talk to you here again soon and see how the early returns look for Scott Peters. Appreciate you coming on. You can find his work, of course, over at Trench Warfare. awesome, awesome resource for all things, offensive line, especially around the drafts, but all season as well, mentioned all the great things that Brandon does

Starting point is 00:34:02 over at Trench Warfare. You can find them on Twitter as well at Brandon Thorne, NFL. But that's going to do it for this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Until next time, thanks for listening, Ho-Day. Have a good one.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Brandon Thorn Breaks Down Bengals' 2025 OL | Additions, Amarius Mims' Progress, Scott Peters Impact

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